


Valentine's Day

by MIZUM0NO



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Jealousy, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Pining, Valentine's Day, Young James Potter, Young Severus Snape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:54:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29378091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MIZUM0NO/pseuds/MIZUM0NO
Summary: The plan was simple; you wanted James, he wanted Lily. All the both of you had to do was work together to go out with your respective crushes before Valentine's Day. Except, when one of you, or rather the both of you, realised that James and Lily were not who you wanted in the end, the plan becomes a little less than simple.
Relationships: Severus Snape/Reader
Comments: 10
Kudos: 83





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day!
> 
> I wrote this to take a little break and clear my mind from the 'The Potions Master' series, just in time for Valentine's Day. Hope you enjoy x
> 
> P.S. Also I apologise if there are minor errors that I may have missed. I will edit as much as I can, but I have written this whole thing in one day, and there may be some things that I have missed out on.

"As expected, Potter! Gryffindor stood no chance!" You waved the golden Snitch in your hand, taunting it in front of the black-haired Gryffindor Seeker. He landed in front of you, dismounted his broom, and immediately marched right up to your face.

"Cheat! I knew you cheated, there is no way—" He paused to take a breath to calm himself, "—That you could have beaten me! We saw the Snitch at the same time, we gave chase at the same time, only difference is—"

"I was _faster_. Face it Potter, you're just too proud to admit that I am better than you!" 

The boy got even closer, and this time, you were officially butting heads. Though, your heart swelled and you let out a smirk as you felt his face so close to yours. "You. Are. Not. Better. Than. Me. You got lucky."

"Maybe I was. But you know what would end this lucky day better than any Felix Felicis concoction ever could, Potter? If you just leaned in a little closer..." Your voice dropped lower, and he hesitated. "...And kiss me for real. You don't have to pretend to butt heads with me if you want to be close."

James immediately jumped back from you, his eyes filled with disgust. "Kiss _you?_ A _Slytherin?_ You would catch me dead before I would ever do such a thing with you!"

But you were already walking away, still smirking at him. "Oh you want to kiss me so bad, Potter! Admit it! By our next game, you would be begging to be my boyfriend, mark my words!" 

You watched as James' face morphed into one of fury once more as you waved the Snitch again, before meeting up with your Quidditch team at the changing rooms. Though, as you turned away from him and walked back, your heart was thumping madly in your chest, and your head was a little dizzy from the close proximity that you shared with the boy. You had had a crush on James ever since the first-year, when you first watched him trotter off to the Gryffindor table after his sorting. He was remarkably handsome, with his hair a little untidy (in a very cute way), and his demeanour prouder and more confident than anyone you had ever seen. It instantly drew you to him, no matter if you were in opposing Houses, no matter if the both of you ended up becoming bickering enemies on the Quidditch field, at best. With the two of you the respective Seekers for your Quidditch teams, the rivalry only grew, and soon enough, you were using every chance you got to tease and provoke him, just so that he would spare another extra minute or two to talk to you and tease you right back. And it was not like he did not know of your crush on him, you had made that very clear; to him, to your fellow Slytherins, to everyone in the school, even. You had fallen for the enemy, and there was nothing anyone could do to change your heart.

When you exited the changing rooms again, in your normal robes this time, you were fully expecting James to still be standing there, barking orders at his team on how to flatten the Slytherin team in the next game. That was what he always did, and that was what you would do if Slytherin had lost a game as well. Only this time, as you walked up to him again, another cocky remark on the tip of your tongue, he only shot you a brief glance before he was distracted by something on his left side. You followed it, and your lips turned at the sight of Lily Evans. _Of course, it had to be her._ The only obstacle, well the only obstacle that mattered, to James not liking you back. You were good-looking, no doubt, and you were popular and cool and _Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team._ If that was not the epitome of desirable to any other student, you did not know what was. You were perfect for James, only you were not _Lily Evans_ for James. He had had a crush on her for as long as you could remember, and although you hated him for it, you could not find it in yourself to _hate her._ No, nobody could hate on Lily Evans. She was kind, and smart, and funny. Every student in the school liked her, including James Potter himself. He was absolutely head-over-heels in love with her, while you were head-over-heels in love with him. 

"Hey! Potter!" You called out to him, masking the hurt in your voice, but he only gave you a small wave and began turning towards Lily this time. "Potter, I'm talking to you!"

"Later! Lily's here!" And what you hated even more, was the excitement in his voice when he ran over to her. He never showed that kind of excitement when he was talking to you.

* * *

There were a few minutes left to your break before you had to go to Transfigurations class, and you and your friends were spending it at the library. They were intending to study, while you intended to sulk over the thought of James fawning over Lily again. It had happened over a week ago, but the memory was still fresh in your mind whenever you allowed your thoughts to drift to him again. Agitated, you stomped your foot and turned to your friends, who only gave you weird stares. 

"What is it that James sees in her, but not me?!" You whisper-yelled, causing a few other students to stare at you this time. You flipped them off and returned your attention to the group of friends in front of you. 

"Well, she is pretty." 

"I'm pretty!" You defended. 

"And humbled." At this, you bit your tongue and stared at the blonde girl angrily. 

"And kind."

"I'm kind! Did you not see me hold back from tripping that Hufflepuff first-year yesterday? That act should have gotten me on Dumbledore's good graces for a year!" Your friends only chuckled and shook their heads at you. 

"And she's a _Gryffindor._ " Those were the final words that made you stop the conversation altogether. It always came down to that, that Lily was in James' House and you were not. It was the most valid argument, and it was not something you could contest. It was the difference that made the difference. 

You huffed, and turned back to the bookshelves. This time, though, as if the devil himself had spoken, you spotted her right at a table near the restricted section. She was laughing and smiling at a boy from your grade, though you never bothered to recognise who he was or what his name even was. What you did recognise, though, was the unmistakeable green and silver tie he had on. _See, if Lily can be friendly with a Slytherin, why can't James?!_

The boy's face was beet-red as he talked to her, and in the span of time you spent watching them both, he had already nearly spilled his inkwell twice, his gaze fixed on her and never leaving. It disgusted you, seeing him try so hopelessly to keep her by his side. His hair was long and greasy, his skin sallow and not well-taken care of, and his frame was skinny and malnourished. He stood no chance with Lily Evans, it was clear. 

And then Lily stood, packing up her things and giving the boy a pat on the back before she pushed in her chair and left. She walked past your group, and gave you a smile (which you returned, albeit a forced and tight-lipped one), before she strolled out of the library. The boy was left staring longingly at her, as if entranced by even the sight of her. _How humiliating. Do I look like that when I'm with James? How could he—_

Then it hit you. An amazing thought hit you, and it was almost like a 'Eureka' moment, with the insane clarity it gave you. You pulled aside a friend of yours, and nodded towards the Slytherin boy. 

"What's his name?"

She gave him a look, and her eyes narrowed. "Severus Snape. He's in our year."

"Yeah, I know that. I've just never seen him around."

"You would, if you stopped your eyes from gluing themselves to James Potter every second of every day."

You gave her a particularly hard jab. "I'm going to go talk to him."

But she held your wrist, shaking her head incredulously. "Severus Snape is...weird. He's friends with Avery, and Mulciber. You wouldn't want to be caught hanging out with him."

"Whatever, it's not like I'm going to hang out with him or anything. God forbid we become friendly," you said, shrugging her off. Ignoring your friends' protests and calls to convince you to _not_ approach Severus Snape, you made the decision to go to him anyway. _What's the worst that can happen?_

And when you stood by his desk and stared straight at him, he only gave you a glance before his gaze retreated back to the book he was scribbling on. It was a copy of a used, hand-me-down Transfigurations book, and you craned your neck to see what he was writing inside. 

"Why are you writing inside there? Don't you have parchments for that?" You asked quizzically, but he only shut his book in response and shoved it away from your sight.

"What do you want?!" His voice was deep, and it made your lips curl. You pointed in the direction Lily had walked out of, and turned back to him.

"That girl, Lily Evans, you like her, right? I know you do."

"What's it to you? Mind your own business." He began to stand, but you took the opportunity to pull the chair Lily had just sat on, and leaned in close to him. His breath caught in his throat, and he nearly shoved you away. 

"You know my name?"

"Of course I do. Who doesn't? You're Slughorn's pride and joy, _Slytherin's_ pride and joy, at Quidditch, or whatever. You hang out with the popular Slytherins, the _pure-bloods_ , and you dated Lucius Malfoy. It'd be hard not to know who you are," he quipped, beginning to stuff his books in his worn, tattered bag. When you stopped him by laying your hand over his, he drew his hand back sharply, as if your touch was poison. You frowned. 

"I am liking you already, _Severus_ ," He stared at you blankly, surprised you knew his name at all. "But just answer the question, okay? Don't play with me, you like Lily Evans, right?"

When he shrugged and looked away, the name bringing a faint red glow to his cheeks, you pressed on. "And you know she likes James Potter, right?"

His face fell, as he pursed his lips and nodded along. He was getting ready to leave, enough of you teasing him and rubbing it to him that the boy Lily liked was not _him,_ when you pulled him sharply back by the collar. He yelped, and raised his hand to reach for his wand, but you only laughed softly in his face. He noticed you had a very pretty smile when you laughed. 

"Why are you leaving? I am just getting to the good part, Severus! I have a plan, to get Lily to go out with you, do you want it or not?"

"I don't need to hear your plan. I am not about to take advice from a stranger I barely know."

You pouted cutely at him. "Oh, Severus, I was just starting to like you. Anyway, Valentine's Day is coming up, and I want James to go out with me before then, and you want Lily to go out with you before then. They both like each other, I like James, you like Lily. I say we work together to pull them apart, so we can have them for ourselves! How does that sound?"

"It sounds stupid. Lily would never—"

"—Not with that attitude, Severus! Come on, this will work. You just follow my lead, and everything will turn out just fine. The plan is simple, and we both get what we want in the end, what's there not to like?! Come on, work with me here, Severus." You outstretched your hand for him to shake, and he studied it for a moment. 

You waved it in front of him, growing impatient, and he looked like he was about to say no. He was contemplating it, and you were about to withdraw your hand altogether, to find someone else that fancied Lily and work with them instead, when he shook it. He shook it firmly, and you remembered grinning widely and thinking that you could almost kiss him with how happy you were then.


	2. Chapter 2

The very next day, as you were walking to Potions class with your usual clique that Severus had so kindly described as _arrogant, haughty and mean_ , you managed to spot him out of the corner of your eye. Your friend was right, your eyes really had been glued to James for far too long. You never even noticed that you shared classes with Severus. 

Ignoring their yells and round of protests once more, you jogged forward to catch up with the boy, and slung your arm around his shoulder. He jumped, and nearly whacked your head with the book he had been reading. Then, he looked uneasily to your friends, who were jeering and laughing at him, before he looked at you. 

"Go away. Go back to them, they're making fun of you for being with me, and then they're only going to cause more trouble for me in the common rooms later. It's annoying." He said quietly, bowing his head lower as he returned to his book. You turned to look at them, who were making faces and laughing at you then, and flipped them off as you laughed along with them. It seemed as though they did more than annoy Severus, though, with the way his eyes were downcast and his stride was affected, as if he was _afraid_ of them. 

You were met with more jeers and insults. "Ignore them. They can't touch you, not when you're with me."

Severus looked like he wanted to hit you for real this time, and you ducked before chuckling at him as the both of you entered the class together. You swore you caught a hint of a grin on his face as well, but Slughorn had called you to the front of the class for something, and you did not have the chance to see if your suspicions were real. 

"Are you free tonight, by any chance, my girl? I have contacted a few professional Quidditch teams, and some of their players are interested to speak to you tonight, regarding your career after Hogwarts," Slughorn said nonchalantly, pouring another vial of green liquid into his cauldron and scribbling on the board right after. 

"I am, sir. I would be honoured for the talk, thank you." He gave you a proud smile, before nodding and dismissing you. When you tried to locate your usual seat beside James, though, you discovered that in the brief moment you had spent speaking to Slughorn, he had already let Lily take your seat instead. Your face scrunched in anger, and although you were gripping the strap of your bag tighter and preparing to curse him out on it, you knew your heart was breaking at the thought of him giving up the seat you had spent all your time with him in, to someone else so easily. 

"You gave up my seat, Potter," you said in a low voice, but he only shrugged and said something along the lines of _Lily wanted to sit here,_ but you were already storming away. You knew Lily did not simply just _want to sit there,_ you knew he had called out for her to take your seat while you were away. 

The only other seat left, was the one beside Severus, and you groaned when you discovered it was at the back of the class and very far away from James'. But you had no choice, so sucking it up and vowing to beat James up later, you threw your bag beside Severus and pulled out the seat angrily. He studied you for a moment, before returning to his own textbook and preparing for the lesson.

Slughorn had tasked the class to brew a cauldron of Draught of Peace, and while you had no difficulty comprehending how to brew one, the potion was not the thing that was fully occupying your mind that day. Chopping and grinding the moonstone into powder with a newfound hatred coursing through your veins, you knew you were busy staring at James and Lily the entire time. James helping Lily stir her cauldron, Lily helping James watch out for his simmering one, it simply made your blood boil. In fact, you were so absorbed in watching and shooting daggers at the two, that you had not even noticed your potion was no longer the orange colour that it was supposed to be in, before it turned white with the addition of powdered porcupine quills. In fact, it had turned to a dark maroon colour from you simmering it for too long, and by the time you noticed and cursed yourself loudly for it, Slughorn was already walking around the class and inspecting everyone's potions.

You panicked. You needed the talk with the Quidditch players that night, and if Slughorn saw how badly you had messed up the potion he had tasked you, one of his favourite students to make, you were not sure if that was going to happen anymore. You needed the potion to be perfect, and you had messed it up epically. 

Just then, your eyes caught sight of the simmering white potion on Severus' own cauldron, and your hands found a mind of their own as they reached out to him. "Severus!"

He stopped his stirring to look at you weirdly. You were absolutely white in the face, and your hands were terribly clammy. "What?"

"M-my potion! Why is it red like that?" You gestured towards your cauldron, and a hint of a smile played on Severus' lips. "Severus, this is serious! Slughorn is two tables away from us now, and I cannot have him see my potion like this!"

He ignored you then, returning to his side and seemingly chopping and crushing something up once more. Your eyebrows narrowed. _Is he for real? Is he really leaving me to die like this?_ "Severus Snape!" 

When he failed to respond to you again, still crushing whatever it was on his counter, you had a sudden urge to take your textbook and hit him squarely in the face with it. "Severus, if you don't help me right now—"

But he had moved over to your side once more, and this time, he scraped whatever it was that he had been crushing, straight into your cauldron. It bubbled furiously, but the boy only calmly took his wand and stirred it gently. Clockwise four times, anti-clockwise five. You watched while he worked, your hands on your hips and your face worried. _If he makes the red go even darker, I swear I will hit him with a Bludger at the next Quidditch game. No matter if he is from my own House!_

The potion then suddenly turned from the dark maroon that represented thick blood, to a thin, bright orange. Severus added the powdered porcupine quills from your counter, and stirred. You discovered that he did not do it gently, like the textbook suggested, but rather hard and fast, in a figure eight motion. And you were about to call him out on it, really, because it looked like he was dead-set on ruining your potion, when the solution immediately turned to the pure white that he had on his own cauldron. It looked perfect, and the words died in your throat. 

"How did you, how could you..." You stared at him in disbelief, because _how in the world had you not noticed that Severus Snape was such an excellent Potioneer?_ You had always thought that James topped the class in Potions, and although Slughorn had always favoured Severus a little bit as well, he was always that unknown boy to you, the boy who won praise that you never paid attention to. But then, staring at the perfect Draught of Peace he had helped you brew, and remembering the effortlessness in him righting your wrongs, it quite literally made your jaw drop. He only took one look at what was wrong, and immediately knew how to reverse the effects of what you did. 

But he only shrugged, looking away as Slughorn approached your table. "I just know how to, I guess."

Needless to say, Slughorn was more than pleased, and you easily earned that talk later on that night.

* * *

"Severus! Wait up!" You ran to catch up with him as he entered the Great Hall alone for dinner. He stopped for you, and grimaced when you held onto his shoulder for support. You had been looking all over the castle for him, and your legs and lungs hurt from running around. But it was just so convenient, that you managed to find him for dinner, and a smile found it's way to your face. "Sit with me, for dinner."

Severus was reluctant. "Your friends...?"

"Oh, it's just one dinner, Severus. They'll be fine without me. I have something to talk to you about." 

James' eyes were studying you when you entered the Great Hall with Severus, and although you had not meant to, your heart did do a little somersault when you noticed. The plan really was working.

Shoving Avery away from his seat, you settled close to Severus while he ladled himself some soup. You grabbed a serving of mashed potatoes for yourself, and without thinking too much about it, you grabbed one for the boy next to you too. It was never a big thing for you, you had always done it for your friends, as they have for you, but when Severus saw you do it then, he took a while to stare at you, then the food, then back at you. Even his friends were staring at you, but when you rolled your eyes and tried to take it back, Severus pulled his plate and simply thanked you. 

"Anyway, I wanted to talk to you, Severus. You need to tutor me Potions, we start tonight." He almost spat out his spoonful of soup at your words, and he shook his head vehemently. 

"Me? Tutor you?"

"Yes, was that not what I just said?" You were starting to think he had problems understanding whatever you said to him. 

"Why...me?"

"Why not you? You showed yourself an excellent Potioneer that day, and I haven't been able to get anything past that rare 'A' for Potions, and I need to take it up next year if I want to become an Auror!" You straightened yourself, fixing your tie to convince him. 

"You...an Auror? I thought you wanted to play Quidditch!" He gave you a look, and you noticed Avery and Mulciber growing very uncomfortable around you. 

"Why, can you not see me as an Auror?! Quidditch is fun, but I don't see myself doing it for very long after Hogwarts, Severus," A small part, at the back of your mind, was suddenly insecure that he was questioning your suitability at your dream job, but you shook it away. "Please, _Sev._ I need to get an 'O' for Potions!" 

He recoiled at the nickname, suddenly pushing away from you sharply. _What is the matter with him?_ You had been ignoring your friends' warnings of him, and how weird he was, but right then, it seemed as if some part of it was turning out to be true. Severus appeared very normal when you first interacted with him, but with the way he nearly flung his mashed potatoes at you when you called him that nickname, it was as if he was trying to prove to you how much of an oddball he was.

But Severus blinked, and suddenly, he righted himself and nodded. It still perturbed you that he was facing away from you, but all of that was forgotten when he softly said under his breath, "I'll see you in the common rooms, tonight."

* * *

Though, when you brought your parchments and books down to the study area in the Slytherin common rooms that night, you noticed that people, _a lot_ of people were staring. Severus hid uncomfortably behind his wall of textbooks, but you knew that he had noticed it too. It was only the both of you that were sitting in the study area, the rest retiring for the night and some resting by the fireplace, so it was unmistakable that they were staring at the both of you. 

"What?!" You barked, and the sight of the Slytherin Quidditch Captain looking even the slightest bit pissed-off and raising her voice at them, was enough for them to avert their gazes immediately. You stared at them incredulously, because for the life of you, you could not figure out _why_ they had been staring. "Have none of you got better things to do than to stare at us?!"

But Severus filled in the gaps for you. "They think I force-fed you Amortentia. For wanting to hang around with me. It's been the talk of the castle, ever since you chose to sit with me at dinner."

You stopped flipping your textbook to process his words. Then, giving a disgusted chuckle, you looked at him again. "But I'm not in love with _you_. Everyone knows I fancy James Potter."

"I know. Hence, the Amortentia." Severus sighed, pulling out his quill. You noticed his inkwell was almost dry, and offered him an unopened bottle that you had brought down. He took it from you, careful not to let your fingers touch, but when they inevitably did, the both of you knew you felt the jolt of electricity between you. But considering the topic of the conversation, you chose to ignore it.

"Can a guy and girl not be...just friends? Seriously, you would think that at this day and age, people would be more open to these things!"

Severus chose to speak no further, and began to help you with the questions that you were stuck on for the homework. It was quite nice, really, being around him. Unlike the scene in the Great Hall earlier, he was much calmer, nicer, with just you around. He had chosen to ignore the very different power dynamics the two of you had, and just accepted that your intentions were genuine anyway. He had nothing to lose, you knew, and you had no intention to pick on him or make fun of him like all the other kids were. No, he seemed real, and you really wanted to learn, so the time you spent with him was really spent with just the two of you, buried in the textbooks, and Severus teaching and correcting you along the way. He was a rather good teacher, and when the sun began to rise and the Prefects got up and started to make their rounds, you had not even realised that you had spent the better half of the night with him. Learning Potions did not feel like a chore, not with him. 

You yawned, stretching your arms when the second Slytherin Prefect woke up and shuffled out of the common rooms. "I think we should stop here for today, Severus. I have Quidditch practice later, and James needs to see me on top of my broom, not falling off of it if he is going to fall for me."

Severus chuckled. It was the first time you made him laugh, and strangely, it filled you with a sense of accomplishment hearing it. But then he shook his head softly, and looked out of the window to study the sunrise. "You didn't have to sit with me or defend me from... _them_ tonight. We could've gone to the library, where there are fewer people staring, judging."

"And why would I want to do that?" You looked at him quizzically, and he turned his head away from you even further, as if he was hiding something on his face from you. 

"I don't know. Nobody like _you_ has ever wanted to hang out with somebody like _me_ for long before, I mean, apart from Lily. I know what they say about me, that I'm weird, I'm scary, I'm too quiet for my own good, I'm damaged," He sighed, and you frowned. "I know hanging out with me is only ruining your reputation. We can meet somewhere more private for our tutoring lessons next time, and then I'll pretend I don't know you anywhere else, so...so people don't think we're...friends or anything."

But you had dropped the quill you were holding then, and a silence filled the room. For a moment, it seemed as if the world stopped turning, as if time had stopped, because your mind was _reeling_ at how self-deprecatory Severus was being. Never in your wildest dreams, had you ever met a person as wonderful, and smart and brilliant as he was, put themselves down in such a manner. You would never speak about yourself in that manner, you knew yourself and your abilities, and no matter what anyone said about you, that you were arrogant and menacing and very much only had your looks as your personality trait, you only took it in stride and battled back those words with even fiercer insults. You had never let what people said about you affect you, so to hear Severus knowing those words about him, to hear Severus getting affected by all the mean things people had to say about him, it made you rather upset, but most importantly, it made you spiteful. 

"But you _are_ my friend. And I'm not ashamed of you, you're kind and witty and incredibly brilliant, Severus. You...you took one look at my failed potion and instantly knew how to fix it, you come up with witty remarks to my quips, and you are quite funny when you want to be, you know?" You let yourself speak, and you did not know if it was the lack of sleep or the fact that it was just the two of you in the common rooms once more, but you had forgone the filter on your tongue. "I like you, and I don't like many people, you should know that."

He allowed himself to look at you again, and this time, you found a glimmer of an expression you could not place in his eyes as he smiled, really smiled at you. You grinned in response, and slung your arm over his shoulder again. This time, he did not jump, he did not recoil. He only let you lean your head on his shoulder, and before he knew it, he found you sound asleep as you leaned against him, your head buried in the crook of his neck.


	3. Chapter 3

"Potter! Hey, Potter!"

"What do you want?!"

"The next quiz that Slughorn is setting, three weeks before Valentine's Day. I get a higher score than you, you go out with me for Valentine's Day, you get a higher score than me, I will bugger off of you forever!" 

The mess of black hair turned, letting it fly in the wind as the boy spent one, two, three, good seconds to think the offer over, before he let out a grin that made your heart flutter and outstretched his hand. You, disbelieved that you could get him to agree so easily on that, warily outstretched your own hand, and he shook it firmly. James had never looked more cocky and confident than when he entered the class that day, a new spring in his step in motivating him to work even harder for the next quiz Slughorn was going to set for the class. 

You, on the other hand, were a little giddy. _Had I proposed that idea too fast, too easily? I was expecting some backlash, some contemplating, but not this!_ You gulped as you took your seat beside Severus this time, willingly, and the boy immediately noticed your tenseness. He said nothing of it, though, he had seen you and James outside of the class before he walked in, and he knew you were probably just nervous from talking to him. God knows he is exactly like that when he is talking to Lily. 

But Severus should have known, when you made a face like that, that nothing good will come out of it. There always had to be a catch, and right then, the catch was him walking to his next class with you by his side, drawing looks from the other students from your incessant begging. 

"Please, _Sev,_ please. It's just until the next quiz, and then I will be out of your hair! Though, it would be quite difficult to do that, since..." You moved to try to touch his hair, but he swatted your hand away and glared at you. 

"Do not call me _Sev._ You are not Lily, you don't get to call me that." He bit back his anger in the hallway, and your pout went even deeper. 

"Okay, okay! I won't call you that, but would you please consider what I am asking for?"

He sighed, flipping through his torn and tattered Charms book for his schedule. You noticed he preferred to scrawl on official school textbooks to a diary or even rolls of parchments, which was another thing about him that just drew you in. Severus was weird, but the good kind of weird, and you always caught yourself smiling whenever you caught him muttering and doodling to himself when he was tutoring you in the nights. "Every day of the week? I have classes, and homework too, you know."

"Then we'll do it together! We finish our homework together, then you tutor me Potions!" You clapped your hands excitedly, but he only gave you another incredulous stare before ignoring you and walking to Charms. Your eyes widened, you could not have him walking away. You needed him to agree, or you were never going to stand a chance at beating James Potter for the quiz. So you grabbed his wrist eagerly then, and spun him around until he was so close to you that he could smell the peppermint in your breath. "Please, Severus. I...I will convince Lily to sit with you at Transfiguration, how does that sound? I'll switch seats with her, so you can sit next to her and I have to sit next to..." You prepared yourself, "...Avery."

Severus frowned deeply at you. The proposition was very appealing, and he had nothing to lose, you knew, so you could not say you were surprised when he gave another loud sigh and muttered a _fine._ In fact, you beamed brightly then, and nearly hugged him as tightly as you could when he agreed.

* * *

It was right after dinner. You were waiting outside of the Great Hall for Severus, textbook clutched in one hand, your broom tucked in the other. You had very little time for homework that day, but you knew Severus despised doing homework so late in the night, and you were only going to end Quidditch practice after ten that day, so you convinced yourself to finish up dinner quickly so you could start on homework with him, at least.

But it was very difficult to do so, when the boy himself was not showing up. _What is his problem?! I thought I clearly said yesterday that we were to meet here, fifteen minutes ago!_ You tapped your foot impatiently, ignoring the smirks and whispers the other students shot you when they walked past.

_The Captain's waiting for her lover boy, and it's not James Potter!_  
_Seriously, a girl like her, with a guy like him?_  
_What'd you think Potter did to her, anyway? For her to switch to someone like Snape so easily, eh?_

"Don't you have that first-year to snog, Black?! Fifty points from Gryffindor!" You cried out, as Sirius Black grinned at you, before sending you a kiss in the air as he jogged along beside Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. You considered following him and bludgeoning his head for a moment, but someone had cleared their throat behind you. 

You jumped, your broom at the ready to hit the person, but it was only Severus. "You can't take away points, you're not a Prefect." 

"Well, they should give that privilege to Quidditch Captains too! I deserve it!" You retorted, before noticing the way Severus was dressed. He had put on his cleanest, nicest robes, and his hair was slicked back a little in an attempt to mask it's length, though he was not doing a very good job at it. You switched your textbook to one hand, and helped him sort it out, causing a rather red tint to grow on his features when your hand ran through his hair. 

"T-thanks," he muttered, voice quivering.

"Where are you going, anyway?! And where were you? You were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago, I don't have much time for homework before I have practice, you know!"

But Severus swallowed, and cast his eyes down. He suddenly looked very nervous. "About that..."

You stared at him, wondering what he was trying to hint at. He cleared his throat, and continued. "Lily asked me to study with her tonight, for the Transfigurations quiz tomorrow. I...I can't teach you tonight."

"What?! Severus, you promised! _Every day, until the quiz!_ How am I supposed to get James Potter to date me without you?"

"I know, I know, but...it's Lily, you know?" He gave you an apologetic look, and you gripped your broom harder. "I can't say no to Lily."

"What about me? You can say no to me? You can't blow me off like this, Severus! I have Quidditch, and I have no other time to do my homework with you! We're friends, and you can't just drop your friends anytime the girl you like asks you out! I've never blown you off for James, you know?"

But he hurriedly checked his wristwatch, and realised he was already late. He was only supposed to talk to you briefly. "Look, I have to go. Good luck for practice, and I will see you in class tomorrow."

"Severus! Hey, Severus, I'm not done!" But he was, as he trudged off, straight to the library and away from you. Your voice faltered, knowing calling out to him was useless, and right then, you tried to ignore the bitter resentment in your heart as you noticed his black hair swishing behind him, his robes fitting his body perfectly, his figure more lithe than you would have imagined. _I'm just angry at him for ditching me, it's nothing. I'm not jealous, I'm never jealous,_ you tried convincing yourself that as you walked down to the Quidditch pitch alone, as you changed into your Quidditch robes, even as you kicked off of your broom and started flying in the air. It was all that consumed your mind the whole of practice, and the bitter feeling never really left. _It's just because Lily has hold over the two boys I actually bother to talk to, nothing more._ And what made that bitter feeling even worse, was the fact that you knew Severus was always going to choose _her_ over _you_. 

You ended Quidditch an extra two hours later that day, clearly quite pissed off at Severus and deciding to take it out on your broom. Your teammates groaned and complained, but with the threat that they were risking losing to _Gryffindor_ in their next match and that they needed to buck up, they quietened down right after and followed your lead. By the time you finished, however, it was already past midnight and you were very much hot and sticky and in need of a shower. 

"Asphodel!" You said to the entrance, and the wall shifted as it allowed you into the common rooms. The fireplace was extinguished, and there seemed to be no other soul awake except for you. You threw your broom on the ground, and plopped yourself on the love seat as you groaned, your muscles already sore from the practice earlier. The thought of having to get up to the girls' dormitory, climbing up that flight of stairs before you could reach your bed, was suddenly not very appealing anymore, and you seriously considered just sleeping on the love seat for the night.

"Good, you're finally back. Let's get started." Your heart nearly jumped out of your chest at the voice, and you shot up instantly to try to find the source of where it came from. Lighting your wand, you were taken aback when there sat Severus, at the study area of the common rooms, laying his head against his arms, his Potions textbook underneath him. He had changed out of his nice robes, and his hair had been washed and conditioned to a softer and more natural texture, but the sight of him still made your heart tug nonetheless. _He stayed up for me. He waited for me to finish practice, to let me do my homework with him._

The thought of homework had completely left your mind, and you groaned when you remembered having to do it before class the next day. "Why'd you wait up for me, Severus? Go to sleep, you weirdo."

"I promised you, didn't I? Every day until the quiz, I would tutor you Potions. And I am holding up that promise now. So hurry up, we don't have all night."

You let out another groan. "I don't want to! I'm tired, and very much in need of a shower, Severus. Let's just...skip this for today."

You began grabbing your broom and textbook, ready to walk up to the girls' dormitory, when Severus stood and in a sudden act of bravery, held your wrist and pulled you down to the love seat beside him. Your eyebrows shot to the roof, but he only opened his textbook nonchalantly, prompting you to open yours. "Don't make my efforts go to waste, Captain. I stayed up for you, when I have a Charms quiz and a Defence Against the Dark Arts essay due tomorrow. So open your textbook, and turn to the page I am at."

You had never seen Severus in this light before. Perhaps it was the night air that made him confident, perhaps it was the fact that the two of you were alone that it made him bolder, but you suddenly found this domineering Severus quite attractive. You grinned, and ignoring the swelling in your heart at how touched you were that _he bothered to honour the promise, to still tutor you no matter how late it was in the night, ignoring his own beliefs of despising staying up late to study,_ you pushed him playfully. 

Halfway through the night, as you were growing restless and Severus was holding you down to continue reading the passage, a thought struck you. His hair was always hiding his face, and at this point, it had almost reached his shoulders. You knew that it bothered him sometimes, got in the way of his work, but he never tried to do anything about it. _A simple solution,_ you thought, as you grabbed the spare hair tie on your wrist and began gathering his hair in your hands. 

"What are you doing?!" He flung himself away from you, but you only chuckled, a soft smile on your lips. Severus avoided looking at them, a determination in his eyes. 

In response, you let the hair tie go over his hair once, twice, before it gave a short ponytail and framed his face perfectly. Up close, you noticed that Severus had a rather defined jawline, and his eyes were a very handsome shade of black, while the texture of his hair was not greasy like you thought, but rather a little damp from all the time he had spent poring over his cauldron in his free time. He was quite handsome, you never noticed. 

"Tying your hair. And there you are, you do look quite handsome with your hair like this, you know? I see why Lily bothers to stay with you now," You joked, but he turned his head sharply then, ignoring you. "Now you can focus on your work better, can you?"

He quietly nodded, ignoring the mad thumping of his heart as you giggled once more and laid your head on his shoulder while you read your Potions textbook right beside him.


	4. Chapter 4

One day, after Potions class and right before lunch, James had stopped you from walking out with your friends for a minute, and noticed Severus staring at the both of you. He gave him a sneer and a rude gesture, before pulling you to the corner of the classroom. Severus continued packing his things, though his ears were listening with rapt attention to whatever conversation you and James were having. 

"My, my, Potter. Giving up on the bet so easily? You could kiss me now if you want to," you teased, leaning in when the boy glared at you and shoved you into the corner. 

"Why are you suddenly hanging around Snape so much? Have your standards really dropped that low?" He said, trying to comprehend the fact that you were now unofficially abandoning him at every Potions class to sit with Severus, and ignoring his bickering and calls out after every combined Quidditch practice to run along with the Slytherin instead of him. It was maddening. "It makes me not want to date you even more, you know."

You smirked, noticing that Slughorn had left the classroom and James was all that was in your view. "Jealous, Potter?"

"Never in a million years."

"Then why have you bothered to check up on me, anyway? You tell me you notice when I ignore you and actively choose _him_ , now?" You chuckled, shaking your head disbelievingly at the boy. "You are jealous of Severus Snape? I would have thought it would take more than him for you to get jealous"

His ears turned red, and he slammed you against the wall harder. Severus paused his packing for a moment, considering hexing the boy, but he stopped when he saw that you had gripped the collar of his robes, a teasing smirk playing on your lips once more. "I'm serious! _Snivellus_ is the scum of the earth, and he is filthy and disgusting and he looks like vermin, standing next to you! I am simply trying to save your reputation, being friends with someone like him, have you not heard what the other students are calling the two of you?"

"Oh, I've heard, alright. And I don't need you to protect me from their _little insults_ , Potter. I can take care of myself just fine!" You retorted, your face so close to his then. "And for the record, I'm only using him so that I can beat you in the next quiz for Potions, nothing more. Did you think I would willingly hang out with someone like what...what did you say?"

James grinned. " _Snivellus._ "

"That's actually quite funny, Potter. Yeah, I would never hang out with someone like _Snivellus,_ so you can keep your pretty little jealous heart at bay. I only have eyes for you."

For a moment, the both of you shared the same opinion for once, and a rare flash of adoration appeared across James' eyes, making you smile in return. He leaned his forehead against yours, and for that brief moment, you really thought you had him, that your plan worked, that it was all going perfectly. 

But once that moment was over, a loud crash of a Potions textbook hit the floor, and you and James were interrupted from your staring competition. You whipped your head to the sound it came from, and your heart fell when there stood Severus, hot, angry tears brimming in his eyes and his tattered textbook laying on the floor beside his feet. He had balled his fists, and was glaring at you murderously. 

"Sev—"

"Screw you!" He cried, rushing out of the class and slamming the dungeon doors as loudly as he could, leaving you and James' ears a little deaf from how intense the sound was. When you looked back at James, however, he only shrugged and patted your back before he walked out, met by Sirius and Remus from Gryffindor as well. He left, leaving you with Severus' Potions textbook and an immeasurable amount of guilt in your heart that you knew you had to face. 

_Why had I said that? Why had I said it as if Severus meant nothing to me? He matters, of course he does. He's my friend, and I should have stood up for him. I should have. Damn it!_ You scolded yourself, before bending down to pick up his book. The pages were falling apart, and the cover was rather ruined from the countless amounts of chemicals he had spilled on it, but the book still reminded you of _him_ all the same. _Oh god, Severus, I am so sorry._

* * *

"What's that in your hands, Captain?" Your friend asked beside you, a spoonful of vegetables in her mouth as she studied you. You were poring over Severus' Potions textbook, looking at his cute, cramped handwriting and trying to decipher whatever he had always been writing on there. "Why'd you have that piece of old, tattered book anyway? Your Minister of Magic father cannot afford you a new one?"

She attempted to grab the book in your hands, but you shoved her away quickly. "First of all, he's not _Minister of Magic._ He's the Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement, it's much lower than Minister. And second, this is Severus' book. He's stopped tutoring me for over a week now, and trying to read his cramped handwriting and figuring out what he is saying that makes him so good at Potions is all I have left. I'm never going to beat James Potter like this!" You sighed, exasperated. 

A chorus of laughter erupted from the table, as they all pointed at you. "Severus Snape?! How do you mess up a friendship with someone like _Severus Snape?_ You must be really bad at this!"

"Oh, screw off!" You defended, taking full offence at what they said. 

"Look, he's even written the initials of your name all over the book! He's got it down bad for you, Captain!" A boy to your left teased, pointing over the numerous heart-shaped drawings around what looked like your initials, but you shoved him away too.

"Now you're the delusional one! Look, it's probably of some potion he invented, or an alternative way of writing Lily Evans' name, alright? There is no way that he likes me, anyway!" You scoffed, scrutinising the handwriting further. It did look an awful lot like your initials, but you chose to immediately shut the book when another roar of laughter came from around you, and stood up angrily. "I'm leaving. You lot are just here to make fun of me for everything that I do!"

When you stormed out of the Great Hall, still ignoring the laughter and jeers from your friends then, you were fully expecting the castle to be empty. Everyone was having lunch, and you were given a rare pocket of free time to catch up on your Potions homework. So, setting out in the direction of the library and internally cussing out your friends in your mind, you were absolutely _horrified_ when you turned a corner and collided with someone who was just as in a rush as you were. 

The books in your hands flew, landing all around you as your own body hit the floor harshly. The other person seemed to hold onto their balance, though, as you cursed and glared up at them. "Watch where you're going, will you? I am the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, I can get you in a lot of trouble for messing with me!"

But then your vision cleared, and you faltered. It was Severus.

He held out a hand, and in your own shock and horror, you failed to notice it as you immediately started collecting your books and scurrying up to leave. When your hands landed on his Potions textbook, though, you suddenly remembered something as you shot up, offering it to him. "This is yours, by the way."

He studied it for a minute, before his eyes suddenly widened and he gasped. He snatched it away from you, and started flipping through the pages feverishly. "Where did you...how did you...how much of it did you see?!"

You gave him a weird look. "See what?"

"The...the...why do you have this?! I've been looking all over the castle for it! Why did you steal it from me?!" He accused, his expression morphing into one of anger.

But you were not willing to get accused just like that. "I didn't steal it from you! You dropped it in Slughorn's class that day, when you stormed out of there like a raging madman! I was going to return it to you, but I couldn't find you anywhere, you idiot!"

"You're the idiot! I've been looking everywhere for this, do you know how far this set me back in my homework? I had so many notes on here! You were invading my privacy, reading my book!"

"It's a textbook, Severus! What is there to invade?" You shouted, anger already seeping into your veins. 

"Oh, so it's back to _Severus,_ now? Or have you grown tired of the nickname James told you and you are still deciding on a new one?" He bit back, stuffing the book in his robes. _Right. That thing._ You rubbed your forehead then, and sighed. You had a lot of pride, it was true, and you hated apologising for things, but Severus deserved your apology. You really had screwed up, you had thrown him under the bus with James, and some part of you, some unknown, foreign part of you that you tried so desperately to push down, _missed him._

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I called you that name. James had put me in a corner, and I wanted to impress him and get on his good side. I should have defended you, I should have stood up to him, because you are _my friend._ So can we just put this stupid thing behind us, and be friends again?" You put your hand out for a truce, but he slapped it away. 

"I thought you wouldn't want to be caught hanging out with _someone like me?_ I sure as hell did not feel that we were friends then, when you said you were only using me to beat him in Slughorn's upcoming test!" He glared, beginning to walk away, but you gave chase. And soon after, you were holding onto his arm as you clung to him, and Severus sucked in a breath at the feeling of your body pressed up against his. 

"Severus, I'm sorry, I really am! What do you want me to say? I screwed up, I made a mistake, okay? I'll make it up to you, I'll get you seats with Lily in every class we share, I'll save a spot at the front row at the next Quidditch game, I'll do anything for you! Come on, Severus, you're my friend, you really are, and I'm not using you. You're a good friend, and I really don't care about what people have to say about us anymore, okay? I will hex the next person who dares come up with anything about us, if that's what you want! Please, please be my friend again, you mean so much more to me than your talent for Potions, you know that! _I've missed you, Severus._ "

That got him to stop. He suddenly turned to you, and looked at you with an expression you could not place in his eyes. Your own gaze was fixed on his face, and suddenly, he muttered, "Fine."

Severus watched your mouth morph into a wide grin once again, as you beamed and laughed and threw your hands around him. You had enveloped him in a hug, and while he stood there, stiff and red-faced and willing his racing heart to slow down in case you could feel it, you only hugged him tighter and tighter as you happily embraced the fact that he had forgiven you. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off your shoulders, a weight that had disturbed you and pulled your thoughts away to him every second of every week for the past few days. And now, to have Severus back by your side, the feeling was indescribable. 

You walked into Charms with him later on that day, your arm around his shoulder once more, flipping off any student that dared to look at the two of you, while Severus blushed furiously. He was still gripping his newly recovered Potions textbook very tightly, and as your eyes travelled to it and glance at it once more, you thought of something. 

"What's the two letters encased in the heart shapes you've drawn everywhere inside there, anyway? What do they mean?" At your words, Severus' face turned bright red, and he hurriedly slipped out of your hold and began walking faster. 

"Hey!" You called out to him, catching up to him easily. "They're not my initials, are they? I mean, they do look like the initials of my name, but I've been told that I am too arrogant for my own good, so I didn't assume. But you know, do tell!"

He ignored you, and continued walking. You walked even faster, and at your insistence and annoying, dogged determination, he finally gave in. "No, it's not your initials! It's...it's a spell I've been working on, on my own. You really do think highly of yourself, you know?"

Though, his voice cracked and his eyes looked everywhere but yours when he said it. You only laughed again, shaking your head at him. It was a relief to hear it, of course, though you still tried to hide the slight bit of disappointment that strangely weighed your heart down when you heard it, and instead shoved him playfully to his seat. "Good. I cannot have you falling for me, Severus, you need to get Lily out of the way for me to get James. And to do that, you need to actually still be in love with her, not me!"

He hit you with his book then, causing quite a few stares from the rest of the class. "Stop reading my stuff!"


	5. Chapter 5

You were waiting outside of the boys' dormitory when Severus came down, dressed in your Quidditch robes and donning the hair tie that you had used on him just a few weeks prior. He pretended to ignore you as he walked past, but ultimately cracked a grin when you pretended to take offence and caught up with him. 

"Severus, here." You dug your robes for something, and Severus watched as you whipped out two tickets to the newly opened Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, down at Hogsmeade. It was impossible to get tickets for a booking there, for it had been the haunt of happy couples not only at Hogwarts, but of the villagers of Hogsmeade as well. Staring at the baby-pink tickets then, he gave you a puzzled look as he studied your face once more. "For the other day. I really am sorry, and I know this doesn't make up for just how sorry I am, but I hope it makes your weekend better. Took me a whole lot of convincing and Galleons to buy them off of Sirius Black's hands."

"This weekend? We're going there this weekend?" An unfamiliar warmth spread through Severus' chest. He looked very hopeful. 

"Us? No, you and Lily, silly! Why would _we_ be going there? We're not even a couple, and I have Quidditch practice this weekend!"

 _Oh._ You had offered him to go with Lily. Severus did not know why his heart suddenly fell at your words. He should be happy, right? That he got this rare opportunity to spend with Lily, at the most romantic of places. Spending the day with Lily, listening to her the whole time that they were spending together, being able to look at her pretty eyes, being able to hear her pretty voice and look at her pretty smile, it should be all that consumed Severus' thoughts, right? Only, he was feeling less than thankful as you thrusted the tickets into his hand then. 

"I have to go, I'm late for practice, but I've convinced Lily to go with you this weekend. It was not easy, Severus, I had to tell her that it was a better place to study with you than the library, which I am sure isn't, but she agreed anyway. Don't put my efforts to waste!" You said, before running off and leaving the common rooms so quickly that Severus had no time to say anything more.

All he could do, was stare down at the tickets, and try to suppress the longing feeling that he wished to go with someone else, someone other than Lily, to the Tea Shop instead.

* * *

When Saturday arrived and you hopped off your broom as a sign to finish off practice that day, your lips parted when there, at the spectator seats, sat Severus. He had his Potions textbook in his hand, and he was lazily drawing on it while the sun beat on his back and illuminated his features. _Why was he not at Hogsmeade, with Lily?!_

"Hey Captain, your little lover boy's been waiting for you ever since we kicked off practice. You've really got him wrapped around your finger, haven't you? If only you could get James like that—" Your Chaser had not even finished his sentence before you had tossed the Bludger you were holding in your hands right at him. He ducked just in time, and you sent him off with a very scalding insult before you gripped your broom, and furiously marched right up to Severus. 

"What the hell is your problem?" You yelled at him, so loudly in fact, that he winced and looked around to see if anyone else had heard. Of course they had, though they were only laughing and pointing at him then as they trudged off the field, not willing to face your wrath for making fun of him any longer. It was difficult to control your anger, though, and you grabbed your broom and immediately started hitting him. Across the chest, on his shoulder, to his other shoulder, you only stopped when he grabbed it from you and snatched it away. "Do you know how much I had to pay Sirius Black for those tickets?! Ten galleons, Severus! TEN! GALLEONS!"

"I didn't ask for them, you gave them to me!" He defended, standing up so that he was taller than you then. You did not back down. 

"As a gift! And people usually appreciate gifts, they use them, especially when they cost me ten galleons and a kiss to Sirius' cheek before I could obtain them for you!" 

"You kissed Sirius?!"

"On the cheek! It was disgusting, but it was worth it, _for you!_ And on top of that, do you know how far the lengths I had to go through to get Lily alone just for one moment, and convince her to go with you?! I thought that you would be grateful, that you would be over the moon, at the very least, to be able to spend a whole Saturday with her at the most romantic shop in Hogsmeade! But no, you just _had to_ back out halfway and spend your Saturday watching me practise instead! What is so much more appealing about watching me fly around in circles over and over again, as compared to snogging Lily Evans, Severus?!" You grabbed his robes then, and pulled him closer to you so you could snarl at him. 

Severus allowed himself to take in your features for a moment, to calm his heart, before he bit back as fiercely. "I was not feeling up to it! I was tired, from teaching you and having to hear your annoying voice by my side all night last night! So this is all your fault, too, you know! You were the reason that I ditched Lily Evans!"

You glared at him, not taking any of his bluffing. "How is this my fault? How is any of this my fault, that you simply don't have the guts to ask her out?! I literally set up everything perfectly for you, Severus! All you had to do was show up, enjoy your day, and ask her out by the end of the night! It's literally so easy for you, I did all the hard work! And...and I could have easily just taken those tickets and gone with James, did you know that? If not him, then perhaps Remus Lupin or Sirius Black himself! God, Severus, now there is an empty table at that Tea Shop and neither of us are sitting there! And we're both so frustrated and angry with each other now because of it!"

Severus suddenly looked hurt, ashamed, like a kicked puppy, and you let go of his robes and stepped back from him then. His expression was stabbing knives into your heart, and you hated the feeling of it as you glared at him, willing yourself not to cry tears of anger in front of him. No, you were not crying in front of _Severus Snape._

He shuffled uncomfortably, before keeping his book in his bag and muttering a _I'm sorry._ You were still fuming at him, but you turned away and refused to meet his gaze, afraid that it would break you if you did. "Whatever."

"I'm sorry, I really am. Thank you, for the tickets. I...I shouldn't have—"

"Forget it," You cut him off, rubbing your temples. "You're forgiven, let's just forget all about this. I don't have time to sit here with you and list out all the reasons why I am upset with you right now. I have to study for the quiz on Monday. I'll see you in the common rooms tonight."

And so you left, leaving Severus alone at the pitch as you walked off to the changing rooms for a shower, your broom dragging behind you in the process and the tickets Severus held in his hand crumpled by his sheer strength. He had waited until you finished practice, with a small hope in him that you would agree to go with him instead, to the Tea Shop, but in the end, all that he was left with was two wasted tickets, and a very crestfallen look on his face as he realised that he had gone with neither Lily nor you to Hogsmeade that day, and that he was spending the rest of his Saturday all alone until nightfall, where you would start your usual tutoring sessions with him again. It left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he could not help but kick the can that rolled in front of him in anger, before yelling out the curses for himself that had been brewing in his mind all the while.

* * *

"And the top student for this quiz is..." Slughorn suddenly adjusted his glasses, very pleasantly surprised when he saw just who had topped his class right then. "...Our very own Slytherin Quidditch Captain! Everyone, please, give a round a of applause!"

You sat back in your seat, grinning widely as you slowly felt the happiness soak into your bones. Slughorn looked prouder than ever, and everyone was clapping loudly for you as he handed back your paper and smiled at you. You wanted to savour the moment forever, as you looked towards James then and he rolled his eyes and clucked his tongue when he made eye contact with you. In fact, the moment you received your paper, you had ignored your very proud and happy tutor for your quiz, and immediately set out towards the Gryffindor boy. Severus had wanted to stop you for a moment, to congratulate you and ask you just how much you got, but you brushed him off quickly and went to James instead, and while he understood, he knew that he was not your first priority, it still gave him a little stinging sensation, watching you beam at the boy and shoving your paper in front of him for him to see. Severus had been the one to teach you, to tutor you, to help you get the highest grades possible, but it was _James_ that you first celebrated the news with, and the realisation of that chipped away the smile of happiness he had for you, disappointment filling his heart instead.

He still applauded you and allowed you to pull him into a hug that sent his heart rate through the roof when you returned, but the feeling of longing lingered and the realisation that you were about to go out with James, really go out with him for Valentine's Day, was dampening his mood even further. 

To make things inevitably worse, Slughorn, as if reading Severus' mind, suddenly announced his worst fears. "Also, there will be a formal dinner and dance to commemorate Valentine's Day this year, in the spirit of love and joy! You are encouraged to mingle outside of your houses, and you are even further encouraged to bring a date to the dance if you wish to do so, so please, start asking the people around you now! I imagine some of you already have someone in mind, of course."

Severus definitely had someone in mind, and he was staring at her right then. Only, she did not know that _she_ was the person in mind for him.

* * *

"Severus! Severus, wait up!" You called out to him after class that day, after turning down yet another invitation to the dance by a classmate. His heart soared when you clung onto his arm, an excited expression on your face. "Now's the perfect time to ask Lily, Severus! To the dance!"

His face fell, and suddenly, he yearned to get out of the grip you had on him. "Why would I want to do that? What makes you think she'll say yes?"

"Because, I've already got James! I beat him in that quiz, remember? I imagine he's already thinking of a million different ways to ask me to go to the dance with him, it seems as if he's forgotten Lily altogether! Now's your chance!"

Severus only gave you a grunt and continued walking, and you remained by his side the whole time, pestering him to _just ask her_ and dreamily thinking of ways James was going to ask you out at the same time. Severus had never known bitterness like before, hearing you talk about the Gryffindor Seeker like that. It gave him a newfound hatred for the boy.

* * *

It was the last match of the Quidditch season, just a week before Valentine's Day. And to no surprise, _Slytherin_ had emerged victorious, you holding the Snitch proudly in front of the whole stadium while the Slytherin spectators cheered and applauded. In the crowd then, you spotted Severus, and he let out a small smile as you made eye contact. A familiar fluttering feeling in your heart appeared, but you attributed it to the high you were feeling then, and flew down to meet him halfway. He had already gotten up from his seat and was ready to welcome you with open arms as he made his way to the pitch.

However, before you could fully dismount your broom and run over to Severus, who was already beaming and waiting for you, you were swept off your feet with a sudden force. Whipping your head around, you discovered that it was _James_ who had done so, and he was holding onto your waist with one hand, his other hand ungloved and holding your face. Dressed in his Quidditch robes still, his face showed no sign of anger or defeat that Gryffindor had lost, only that he was smiling at you with that perfect smile of his and his unkempt hair was flying in the wind, while his eyes never left yours even for a second.

And then he leaned in, and crashed your lips so hard against his that you were sure they were going to bruise, but you did not care. The crowd roared and broke out into an even louder applause this time, as time slowed for you and James, as he kissed you deeper and deeper and you revelled in the fact that _finally, finally you got to taste those lips of his._ It was dizzying, and intoxicating at the same time. There was no better feeling in the world than to kiss James Potter in front of the whole school. 

"Be my girlfriend, go to the Valentine's Day dance with me," James whispered against your lips, and you could not help smiling and laughing happily as you nodded, capturing his lips in yours again. 

In fact, you had been so absorbed in the fact that _James Potter was asking you, really asking you to be his girlfriend,_ that you failed to notice a certain black-haired Slytherin boy who had been waiting for you, quietly disappear behind the crowd, as he ran off heartbroken and angrily wiping the tears that had found themselves rolling down his cheeks.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been two days, a solid two days, and you could not find him anywhere. You had looked everywhere, asked everyone, ignored the dirty looks that people gave you at the thought of _James Potter's girlfriend looking for Severus Snape,_ and you still could not find him. You were beginning to think that he had dropped out of Hogwarts altogether. You wanted to share the news, the amazing news with him, your best friend in the whole of Hogwarts, to tell him of just how lucky and blessed you were, to tell him of how much you appreciated him that he helped you get James, to tell him of just how thankful you were for him, but he was nowhere to be found. It frustrated you to no end.

Eventually, you enlisted the help of your Quidditch team to look for him. And if the Chasers were not speedy and efficient enough, the Beaters were burly and taller than any other student in Hogwarts, so it only took another hour or two for them to finally bring Severus to you, your Beater having too much fun throwing him onto the ground in front of you as you waited for him at the Slytherin changing rooms. He looked dreadful, and the bags under his eyes had grown darker and bigger in the span of time that you had spent away from him. It made your heart tug as you quickly dismissed the team, leaving the two of you alone in there.

Severus got up, and dusting away the dirt on his knee from the force he had been thrown with, he only gave you a reproachful glare, before he turned to walk right out. You panicked. "Severus, wait!"

"Really? You got your _Quidditch team_ to look for me?" His voice was sharp, cutting as you stepped back then, uncertainty filling your features. "Have you got nothing better to do, after winning that match against Gryffindor?!"

"Severus...come on! You've been ignoring me and I couldn't find you anywhere for two days straight after the match! I was getting worried!" You defended, frowning. 

"I was fine! I was fine, and you didn't have to look for me! Hogwarts is the safest place there is, so your worry means nothing!"

"Severus!" You cried, holding onto his wrist then. He roughly let it go. "What's the matter with you? Did I do something? Why are you acting like this?"

But the boy only gave you a frustrated sigh, and shook his head. "You really are dumber than I thought. Never mind, it's nothing. I'm fine, and you should be busy snogging _your boyfriend_ instead of spending time with a loser like me." 

"Dumber? How—Yes, James is my boyfriend, but you are my _best friend,_ Severus! I want to spend time with you! I wanted to show you the dresses that I have in mind for the dance, I wanted to show you all the cute things James is doing for me, I wanted to tell you anything and everything about my day, and I wanted to be able to have my best friend by my side to advise me on what to do! But that is very difficult to do, when you disappear for two days straight and I could not find you anywhere!" You shot back, rage backing your voice, but Severus only grew more and more frustrated. 

"You don't get it, do you?! You seriously don't get it?"

You stared at him confusedly. What was it that he was not telling you? "Get what? Severus, all I have been to you is kind, and I don't think that I've done anything wrong to you to warrant for your behaviour towards me! You don't get to just disappear on me anytime your feelings are hurt and you don't tell me why, because in case you could not get this through your thick skull, I have feelings too!"

"But that's exactly it, isn't it?" Severus shook his head. "That's it. My feelings for you."

You paused, not quite understanding him. "What are you playing at, Severus?"

"I love you!" He screamed. "I love you, and not Lily! I mean, sure, I did like her at the start, and she was nice to me and all, but I love you! You—I don't know how, I don't know why I love you, okay?! I hated you and your guts at the start, I thought you were arrogant and haughty and too stubborn for your own good! I thought you were just like all the others, just like _your friends,_ only hanging out with me to make a joke out of me, but...you were different. You were nice to me and you cared for me and looked out for me and you started tying my hair and helping me with my stuff that—that I fell for you! I fell for you instead, and seeing you with James, seeing you fawning over James and gushing about just how _dreamy_ and _attractive_ he is to you, while I am standing right next to you, feeling like the most invisible thing on earth, it was killing me! It's hard enough seeing you fall for him deeper and deeper every single day, but to finally see James fall for you back, to see James kissing you in front of the entire school that day, claiming you as his, that had been the final straw. _I had officially lost,_ and I wanted to get as far away from you as possible, because you broke my heart! Do you understand?!"

Standing there stunned, your hands suddenly got cold and stiff again, your mind frozen as you heard Severus scream and shout and profess his love for you. It was the most absurd thing you had ever heard, him actually falling for you, and if you had not thought that he was joking, that it was some elaborate prank that he had planned, you were sure your heart would have skipped a beat and swelled with joy hearing that _he liked you back._ There was no way, there was no way that the feeling in the pit of your stomach, the sickening feeling that you had shifted your adoration from pure friendship to him to something more, was reciprocated. And there was no way that you were allowing yourself to feel that way either, no, you were not falling for Severus instead of James. 

You knew he was not serious, he could not be serious. Severus loved Lily, and you loved James. It was impossible, the idea of him liking you instead. You shook your head, and Severus watched as laughter began to wrack your body. "What...why are you laughing?"

The laughter broke into uncontrollable chuckles, as you held onto his shoulder then, and buried your face in it. "Oh, oh Severus. You got me, okay, that was really quite funny. I didn't know you were a prankster at heart!"

Severus' face morphed into one of confusion, before it was quickly replaced by rage. "You think...I'm joking?"

"Well, yeah. Because you love Lily, and I love James. There is no way you love _me,_ Severus. You really are amazing at this, you know? You should—"

But before you could finish your sentence, Severus had surged forward and slammed you hard against the lockers, pinning your hands by the side of your head. It caught you off-guard, and your laughter died in your throat as his face came inches within yours. "This isn't a joke. I love you, I really do."

You only smiled at him playfully, choosing to ignore the racing heart within your chest. "Of course you do. Severus, you are mistaking your fondness of me for love. You love Lily, you do, but you're just afraid of her rejection and you chose to pursue me instead. Suck it up, _Sev_ , and ask her out before Valentine's Day, will you? This crush, whatever this is you have on me, will go away. You're just confused, and this feeling's temporary."

You expected him to realise it the same time you did, to laugh along with you, to suddenly shake his head and agree with you, even. Hell, you would have even expected him to kiss you on the cheek teasingly as the realisation fell on him, before he would back off and get it over with with you. But instead, he did something that you never would have thought possible. Severus backed up suddenly, and with his fist swung high, he aimed it directly at your face. You ducked just in time, leaving him to slam into the lockers and dent them beyond repair, as you fell to the ground in fear. 

"What—Sev—" You stared at the dent on the lockers, thinking that it could have narrowly been your face that was dented in like that. Your heart was racing again, but this time, for a whole other reason. _He was going to hurt me?_

Severus only looked down at you, fury in his eyes then. You cowered and swallowed as he suddenly stepped back, and clutched his fist. 

"I hate you. I hate you so much, and you are the worst person I have ever met in this school! Stay out of my life!"

* * *

This time, it was your turn to ignore Severus altogether, the memory of him nearly doing your face in still very fresh in your memories each time you saw him in the hallways and in classes. Being James' girlfriend helped quite a lot, as he had actually started saving seats for you wherever he went as well, so you no longer had to sit next to Severus in your classes. Occasionally you would catch him staring at you and quickly averting his gaze when you caught him, and in those rare times, you would never admit it, you longed for him to actually _hold_ his gazes. You had missed him, terribly, and sometimes his eyes were enough for you to quench the longing in your heart for him. However, it was not enough to quench the thirst for your bruised ego, though, as you thought of a scrawny, lanky Severus nearly ending you with his fists, you, the athletic, fit, Quidditch Captain. And you were thankful that he had not spread the news that you had ducked and practically cowered under him either, no, that would have been the nail to the coffin of your reputation in the school. 

There were exactly two days left to the dance, and as far as you knew from the conversations around you, Severus still had not asked Lily out yet. James assumed that she would probably be going with Remus, or Sirius, or Peter, but neither of them had plans to ask her out either. You did not pay _Lily_ any mind, though, you were sure some boy was going to ask her out soon enough, if not Severus, then someone. It was the Slytherin boy who was burning holes through the side of your head in Potions class that concerned you. 

James allowed for a rare glance to the back, and upon noticing Severus' eyes on you, he stood up, an insult ready to escape from his lips, but you dragged him back down. "Leave him."

"He was ogling you!" James reasoned, but you shook your head. 

"He was staring at Lily, not me," You said bitterly, ignoring whatever Severus had confessed to you that day. "And he's just too much of a wuss to ask her out to the dance."

"Aren't you supposed to help him out on that, though? You guys were each other's wingmen, right?" James prodded, helping you chop your ingredients. 

You shrugged, looking back at Severus, who was still looking at you. Only then, he tore his eyes away from you, and resumed crushing his own ingredients. "I can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped!"

You said it louder than you needed to, hoping Severus would hear it, and he did. He stopped his crushing for a moment, and with the way he was gripping his small knife in one hand and clutching his wand with the other, it really looked like he was about to hex you. You dared him to do so, keeping your eyes steady on him, not backing down.But Slughorn was beginning to walk around the class again, and he quickly put both of his weapons down as he considered flipping you off instead.

Unbeknownst to you, James had hatched a secret plan in his head, and he smiled proudly to himself then, as he continued chopping up his ingredients and helping you stir your potion.


	7. Chapter 7

Severus stumbled as he struggled with the strength the Gryffindor boy had thrown him with, earning the laughs and cackles of the group that had surrounded him. His knee stung, but he quickly got up again, readying his wand as he faced them off. 

"It's four to one, Snape! What are you going to do?" Sirius jeered, already cursing Severus again, a hex which he deflected just as quickly. 

"Get away from me!" He cried, and he was about to hex Sirius back when James yelled another hex that made him fall to his knees, earning another roar of cheers from the boys. 

"Creep! You were ogling my girlfriend all throughout Potions, weren't you? You were making her uncomfortable, didn't you know that?!" James exclaimed, raising his wand again at Severus, ready to strike him for every count that he saw fit. He had had enough of the boy using every opportunity he had to stare at you while James looked away, and he was about to make him pay. He was ready, he was prepared to strike, but the only thing that stopped him, however, was when his wand was suddenly shot out of his hand, rolling to the ground beside Remus. 

James turned, shock written all over his face, and he made eye contact with you. You were glaring at him, your hands clutching your own wand so hard that your knuckles had turned white. On your face, was an expression James could not have expected. _You looked furious._

"Leave him alone, James!" You yelled, approaching him and suddenly shoving him away. He looked to you in surprise. "Go pick on someone your own size!"

"Sweetheart," The nickname caused Severus to wince. "Why—"

"When you told me you would _take care of this_ , you didn't tell me that you were planning to hurt him! I didn't want you to hurt him!" 

James straightened, and cleared his throat. It was obvious he was trying to regain some of the power that he had lost with you. "But you're not his friend anymore, aren't you? Sirius and I actually held back, when you started hanging out with him, you know? I was starting to have a crush on you then, and you were hanging out with filthy _Snivellus_ so we had to hold back from hexing him with every opportunity we got! But now that you're mine and no longer his friend, what's stopping us from doing whatever we want? Right, Sirius?"

Sirius chuckled, and nodded along to his friend. You, on the other hand, you were still with shock. "You...You were bullying him?"

"Everyone bullies Severus Snape in this school, sweetheart. You are just the rare exception of popular kids who don't, because every single one of your other admirers and friends have been picking on him since the start of time, too! Have you not noticed, or were you just too blinded by your love for me?" James grinned, already reaching out to wrap his arms around your waist again. But you had raised your wand, and flung them right off. 

You could not _believe_ you had not seen it. Severus never told you, of course, he had not, but you were suddenly thinking back to all the times he would flinch when you hugged him, all the times he felt uncomfortable when you were being nice to him, all the times he was unsure if your intentions for him had been genuine. He was preparing himself for the worst, and it absolutely broke your heart at the thought of him having to stay on guard at all times. He eventually let his walls down with you, but you broke his trust anyway, and you left him heartbroken and much more doubtful of himself than he ever was. Suddenly, another heavy, crushing weight of guilt settled on your chest, and you knew instantly of what to do. 

"Screw off, James." The boy raised an eyebrow at what you said, and scoffed. 

"What did you say?" He came closer, hands on his hips. 

"I said, screw off! We're over, we're done! I don't want to go to the dance with you anymore!" 

Sirius and Remus exchanged glances. Peter cowered to the back, and Severus could be heard taking a deep breath as he studied James. James, on the other hand, was showing off a flurry of emotions on his face. Shock, disappointment, anger, then resentment. He narrowed his eyes at you, as if to clarify that what he really heard was true, and you took the opportunity to help Severus to his feet. He took your extended hand gratefully and leaned on you for support.

Then, James scoffed once more. "You're giving up our relationship, for _him?_ Sweetheart, what am I supposed to do with no date for a dance that's so near? You're making me look as pathetic as _Snivellus_ over here!"

"His name," Your voice had turned terrifying. "Is _Severus!_ And until you learn how to address him as such, and to treat him properly, I'm never speaking to you again, Potter! It's not my job to make you feel like a man, I can't make you something you're not!"

And so you left, your arm around Severus' midriff as he staggered along with you on his good leg back to the castle, leaving James sputtering and shock-ridden that _you really just dumped him_ in front of everyone, and that you took Severus' side at that too. It was perhaps the most humiliating thing that had ever happened to him in his life. Balling his fists, he shouted deafeningly then, attracting the attention of the other passers-by who happened to be witnessing the scene.

Remus snickered beside him. "Told you mate, it wasn't a good idea to piss her off by picking on _him._ "

"Clearly," James sucked in his teeth.

* * *

"Ouch!" Severus winced as he pulled away from you, while you dragged him back to face you again. "Can't you learn to be more gentle?!"

"You were the idiot who didn't want to go to the infirmary! There is no shame in asking for Madam Pomfrey, you know, Severus!" You retorted, feigning annoyance at him. Secretly, though, you were quite glad that he was speaking to you again, and you tried to control the thumping of your heart with him so close to you and with his hair tied back to expose the cut he had suffered on his jaw. It made him look infinitely more handsome, and you were still trying to convince yourself that his confession to you was part of some elaborate prank that he was trying to pull on you.

He stared at you then, really stared, and under the moonlight and faint glow of the fireplace, you caught yourself from actually looking down at Severus Snape's lips. He looked so handsome, so kissable then, that you had trouble yourself resisting from just leaning and capturing his lips right then and there. But you could not. He was your friend, your best friend, and he was Lily's. His heart was always going to belong to Lily. Apparently, he noticed this too, and cleared his throat loudly as he averted his gaze, a red glow illuminating his features. 

"So..." He announced, though not quite finishing his sentence. 

"So..." You continued. 

"Who are you going to the dance with...now that James is, _you know._ " Severus shifted uncomfortably, every fibre of his being screaming at him to get away from you before he inevitably gave in and pressed his lips against yours forever.

You laughed dryly. "Alone, I guess. Who's going to want to ask me now, that I've turned down everyone except James? I can't possibly find a date in less than twenty four hours, Severus." 

Severus nodded along, biting his tongue. _I would. I would want to ask you, if only I'm not such a coward. If only I had the guts to do it. I'm not afraid of asking Lily, I'm afraid of asking you._

You finished wrapping up his injuries later that night, and hugged him goodbye before you retreated to the safety of the girls' dormitory once more, your mind fighting with your heart. _He's not asking me. He's not asking me, and he probably still hates me for treating his confession like a joke. I should forget about going with him altogether._

* * *

Much to your surprise, however, there were people that were asking you to the dance the next morning. Because as news spread like wildfire that you and James were over, every single other boy who had not had a date yet was taking the opportunity to present you with flowers, chocolates, and all sorts of gifts to ask you out to the dance that night. You, however, had your eyes fixed on a certain black-haired boy in your line of vision, and it was definitely not James Potter. He was further along on the Slytherin table, sulking with his friends around him as he poked around his bowl of oatmeal. You decided that you were going to fix his horrible mood then, grabbing a gift in your hands and approaching him.

"Go, Severus, just do it!" You prompted, pushing the boy with one of the chocolates your admirers had gifted to you in his hands. "Hurry up, I don't know how long her friends are going to be gone for, so you have to ask her now!"

"But—" He looked towards Lily, then you, then back to Lily, and he was stumped. _What was he supposed to do?_ The chocolates in his hands, he did not want to give them to her, he wanted to share it with you, and go to the dance with you, and profess his love for you and ask _you_ to be his girlfriend, not Lily Evans. He wanted you. 

But another boy had dragged you away then, as Severus looked back to you, and you were already at the far right end of the Slytherin table, laughing and giggling at something the boy said to you. You took the flowers he offered, and Severus swallowed the resentment in his throat then, and hurriedly dumped the box of chocolates altogether, before storming out of the Great Hall. It looked like you were going to say yes to him, and he did not want to be around to see it. 

Later that afternoon, however, you had one last Quidditch practice to squeeze in before the final match with Hufflepuff, and you still had _no date._ It was frustrating to no end, and you were slowly dreading the dance that you had been so looking forward to all the while. It was turning out to be one of the worst Valentine's Days of your life.

 _I love you. I really do._ Severus' voice rang over and over in your head as you flew, and no matter how much you tried to shake it off, no matter how much you tried to ignore it, it was there. It was persistent, and annoying, and very much making your heart race each time you heard it in your head again. _Was it true? Did he really love you like he said he did?_ You were about to scoff, to continue on in your search for the Snitch and pushing the thoughts of him to the back of you mind once more, when it hit you. It hit you like a bucket of ice cold water, and it nearly made you fall off your broom with the intensity that it hit you with. It suddenly all made sense. The bitter feeling it left you with when he chose to study with Lily over you, the swelling in your heart when he still stayed up for you nonetheless, no matter how tired he was, the sinking sensation when you were offering the tickets to the Tea Shop to spend with Lily, even the pangs of guilt you felt when James kissed you in the hallways and in classes, right in his view. It had been there all along, the feeling, only you had been too blind to recognise it then. _You loved him too._

You dismounted your broom immediately after practice ended, and with a new determination in your steps, you swept past the crowd that had gathered to watch the final Slytherin practice, which, was practically the whole school. Looking over the heads of the boys with flowers and cheesy cards that they were planning to offer you, it took you a while to find who you were looking for, but when you did, you stormed through the groups and squeezed your way through until you came face to face with _him_.

He did not have a card, nor was he holding flowers or chocolates in his hands to offer you. No, he was holding onto his worn-out Potions textbook that made your head spin whenever you remembered that he had scrawled out your initials on each page on, the very same textbook that still made your lips curl into a smirk and your heart beat faster whenever you saw it. He looked at you curiously, before you grabbed his arm and began dragging him off the pitch. 

"What are you doing?!" 

"Asking someone to go to the dance with me." 

"And you need my help for that?" 

"Yes." 

The boy gave you a strange look, before he huffed, masking the disappointment in his voice. That was all he was to you, reduced to a best friend, and a wingman. He would never be anything more. "Who's the lucky guy? You didn't bother to tell me earlier."

But then you stopped in your tracks, and faced him. He nearly tripped over your feet when he did too, earning the looks and glances of the crowd as the both of you stood at the edge of the pitch. You had a determined look on your face, and for some reason, the boy thought you looked rather...nervous. You were never nervous. 

"You, idiot." 

Before Severus could say anything more, before he could open his mouth to speak, even, you were already holding his face, and pressing your lips against his. It made his head spin, tasting the wonderful flavour of your lips on his, and he was suddenly finding it hard to believe that _you were kissing him._ You were asking him to the dance, you were going out with him, and you were kissing him. He must have been dreaming.

Only that he was not. The roar of the crowd behind him fuelled his drive to deepen the kiss with you, because _damn it_ he was kissing the Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team and he was abandoning Lily for you and you were abandoning James for him and everything in his life seemed finally okay, for once, all thanks to you. No, it was not a dream, Severus was sure, because this was better than any dream he had ever had before. 

He wrapped his arms around your waist, pulled you closer, and grinned widely as he then asked, "So, are you going to the dance as my girlfriend, or...?"

"If you don't make me your girlfriend after I've kissed you in front of the whole school, Severus Snape, I will _end_ you."

Severus laughed at your smile, and he pulled you into another kiss, nodding and beaming at the fact that you were finally his, and he was finally yours. Just in time for Valentine's Day.


End file.
